Maria Grazia Chiuri debutes her 'New Look' for Dior

You know a show is a success when the entire front row give it a standing ovation, complete with rapturous applause. Maria Grazia Chiuri today debuted her first collection for Christian Dior after the shock departure of Raf Simmons last year. And I for one hope she remains at the house for a longer length of time than her predecessor, after the stunning collection she showed this afternoon.

With Rihanna, Kate Moss, Marion Cotillard, Jennifer Lawrence, Carla Bruni and Diane Kruger sitting on the front row, the pressure was on for Grazia Chiuri to literally 'bring it' for her first collection for Dior. She started off by sending out all white looks with a strong sense of sportswear about them. Models wore trainers with padded jackets and tailored trousers. Sheer tulle was used on floor length skirts and on frilled Victorian style tops and dresses. Little red hearts were embroidered delicately onto the chest of dresses and jackets, before black was introduced with a number of mini skirts, trench coats and shift dresses all in the same tone. Sunglasses were worn with a sense of cool, while the tightly, pulled buns models wore on their head made the clothes look even more slicker. Feminism was a clear inspiration for Chiuri, with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s slogan, 'We should all be feminists' printed on plan white t-shirts, a similar stance Donatella Versace took at her show at Milan Fashion Week with strong women as her inspiration.

I loved the ballet references, with the net skirts, flat shoes and elegant, streamlined shapes. The dresses towards the end of the show were especially lovely, with straps bearing the Dior logo - this will be a thing for next season in all the shops, trust me. I also liked all the illustrations on the garments which was a nice touch.

If anything, this whole collection was extremely beautiful, light, fluffy and yes, very Valentino. Maria Grazia Chiuri's work at Maison Valentino was heralded as an enormous success after the designer stood down as creative director, and of course she couldn't help but bring these design staples with her to Dior. In some ways, Dior and Valentino are quite similar. They are both brands known for feminine, beautiful pieces, with a fondness for florals and anything delicately elegant. But enough of Grazia Chirui's past and more about her future at Dior. She delivered a fantastic show and I sure hope she sticks around to produce many more at Dior.